Confessions of a leftwing comic.

• Author: Tyler, David
• Position: Jimmy Tingle - Interview

Jimmy Tingle is against the death penalty, supports gay rights, backs a higher minimum wage, and believes in gun control. Tingle's not a politician; he makes fun of politicians.

He's a nationally known comic who has made leftwing political humor the centerpiece of his act for the past ten years - rare in an industry that shuns liberal politics as unmarketable.

Tingle's style of humor mixes sharp political satire with personal confession.

In his latest show, "Uncommon Sense," which ran for most of 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tingle talks about his own political and personal transformation from a drunk bigot to a socially conscious political humorist. Along the way, he skewers Newt Gingrich, George Bush, Ross Perot, and corporate ownership of the media.

Tingle paces the stage with manic energy. His arms fly out, punctuating jokes. He's short, with light red hair and a square, reddish face. Critics perpetually liken his appearance to that of Barney Rubble. He asks, "What does it take to get the United States government involved in true humanitarian missions abroad?" It seems we'll only help out if our economic interests are threatened, he concludes. Torture, genocide, the senseless killing of innocent people don't seem to motivate American corporations to put pressure on the United States government to intervene and stop the killing.

"Apparently these words mean nothing to these people. We have to start talking in a language they understand: customers."

Tingle switches into his news-anchor voice, high-pitched and frantic. "Millions of potential customers are being denied access to the cash register." Then, lower, the voice of the corporations: "Where is this? Bosnia? Let's go! Operation Credit Card, come on. This is important!"

Like many on the left, Tingle sees humor as a powerful, seldom-used political tool. "I think it has great potential. I think more of the message gets out there. The average person doesn't know who George Will is. Rush Limbaugh is powerful and funny. He's reaching people that George Will doesn't reach."

When he began as a comedian in 1980, Tingle did not do political humor. As he ells in his show, he began like almost every other white, male comic. "The only jokes I heard growing up were pretty rude. Let's face it: they were either racist, sexist, homophobic, or making fun of somebody else, usually fat people. I figured, when in doubt, combine them."

In the mid-1980s, Tingle began working more and more social...